Apple iWatch hinted at in new patent filing

An Apple smartwatch device seems to be on the drawing board after all, according to a patent filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Filed in August 2011 but published today, the Apple patent filing known as “Bi-Stable Spring With Flexible Display” describes a flexible touchscreen device that can display information. The device can be worn in any location, according to the patent, though one of the drawings shows it naturally being worn around the wrist.

The patent doesn’t specifically refer to the device as a smartwatch and instead envisions it as an electronic type of slap bracelet. Such bracelets are equipped with bi-stable springs that allow them to conform to the user’s wrist. But several of the features described in the patent match those that would be found in a smartwatch.

“With a touch screen user input a user can accomplish a number of different tasks including adjusting the order of a current playlist, and reviewing a list of recent phone calls,” the patent said. “A response to a curr… [Read more]

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An Apple smartwatch device seems to be on the drawing board after all, according to a patent filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Filed in August 2011 but published today, the Apple patent filing known as “Bi-Stable Spring With Flexible Display” describes a flexible touchscreen device that can display information.